Routledge Handbook of Contemporary South Korea

by Sojin Lim (Editor), Niki J.P. Alsford (Editor)

Overview

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary South Korea offers a ground-breaking study of the socio-political development of the Korean peninsula in the contemporary period.

Written by an international team of scholars and experts, contributions to this book address key intellectual questions in the development of Korean studies, projecting new ways of thinking about how international systems can be organised and how local societies adapt to global challenges. Academically rigorous, each chapter defines current research and lends the reader greater understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of South Korea, ranging from chapters on the Korean Wave to relations with North Korea and the Korean language overseas.

The volume is divided into eight sections, each representing a focused area of inquiry:

• socio-political history
• contemporary politics
• political economy and development
• society
• culture
• international relations
• security and diplomacy
• South Korea in international education

This handbook provides an interdisciplinary and comprehensive account of contemporary South Korea. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of Korean history, politics and international relations, culture and society, and will also appeal to policy makers interested in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367458201
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/31/2021
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sojin Lim is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Lancashire. She has published research on Korea, including Aid Modalities Determinants: South Korea Triangular Cooperation and Implication towards North Korea (2019).

Niki J.P. Alsford is a Professor at the University of Central Lancashire. He has published research on Taiwan, including Transitions to Modernity in Taiwan: The Spirit of 1895 and the Cession of Formosa to Japan (2017).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction Part 1: SOCIO-POLITICAL HISTORY 2. Educational Development, Society, and Politics in South Korea 3. Historical Development of Judicial Independence in South Korea: Focus on Colonial and Post-Colonial Period Part 2: CONTEMPORARY POLITICS 4. Political Structure Changes in South Korea since 1948 5. Evolution of Political Parties and the Party System in South Korea Part 3: POLITICAL ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT 6. History of the Developmental States: The Case of South Korea 7. Chaebǒl and the Political Economy of South Korean Development, 1945-Present 8. The Evolution Story of South Korea from a Fragile State to an International Actor Part 4: SOCIETY 9. Religion in Contemporary Korean Society: Interactions between the Past, Present and Future 10. Korean Labour Movement: The Birth, Rise and Transformation of the Democratic Trade Union Movement Part 5: CULTURE 11. Culture is Power in Dynamic Korea: Soft Power and Government Involvement in the Korean Wave 12. Creating Our Culture Together: The Contemporary Audience for Traditional Korean Music 13. South Korean Film: Commercial Success, Full Service Cinema and the Crisis-Consciousness 14. The South Korean Literary Field and Its Recent Evolution Part 6: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 15. South Korean National Identity and Inter-Korean Relations since 1945 16. South Korean Relations with North Korea 17. The Past, Present and Future of United States-South Korea Relations 18. Japan-South Korea International Relations 19. Between a Wedge and a Hedge: South Korea’s Dilemma over China Relations Part 7: SECURITY AND DIPLOMACY 20. Security Dimensions in Light of Changing Dynamics: The Rise of South Korea as a Global Player 21. Continuity and Changes in South Korea’s Middle Power Diplomacy Part 8: SOUTH KOREA IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION 22. Korean Language Overseas 23. South Korea in the Secondary Education System in the United Kingdom